Transportation base load unitizer

ABSTRACT

A transportation base load unitizer ( 8 ) for unitizing a load ( 14 ) on a transportation base ( 16 ), such as a pallet. The unitizer ( 8 ) comprises at least one elastic section ( 12 ) and at least one protection section ( 10 ) for providing greater protection to a load ( 14 ) on a transportation base than the at least one elastic section ( 12 ). The unitizer ( 8 ) is configured such that, in use, the unitizer ( 8 ) holds together as a unit and protects a load ( 14 ) on a transportation base ( 16 ).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a transportation base load unitizer anda method of unitizing a load on a transportation base, such as a pallet.

Pallets are flat structures for carrying goods to form a unit load ofthe goods. The goods forming the load may be, for example, foodstuffs orother products.

Pallets are typically made of wood. They include a deck (usually squareor near-square) on which a load is placed. The deck is supported by anarrangement that allows forks of a forklift or pallet jack to lift andtransport it. The pallets including their load can be transported on toand off from lorries, which carry unit loads on them long distances.Many standard configurations of pallet are used such as internationalorganisation of standardisation (ISO) pallets and Euro (CEN) pallets.These typically have dimensions of between 800 mm to 1300 mm by between800 mm to 1300 mm.

Stretch wrap or shrink wrap is typically wound around goods on a palletto hold a load on its pallet and to unitize it. Stretch wrap is a highlyelastic plastics film that is wrapped around items to bind them togethertightly to unitize them. Shrink wrap is a plastics film that is appliedloosely around a load and then heated causing the film to shrink,tightly holding the load and unitizing it.

It typically takes around twenty minutes for one person to wrap a loadin stretch or shrink wrap. There are machines that can perform thisfunction. However, they are very expensive and may require occasionalhuman intervention.

When the unit load of goods has reached its final destination, thestretch wrap or shrink wrap must be removed. The film cannot be usedagain and must be stored before disposal. Storage takes up considerablespace. Disposal has detrimental environmental impact.

The stretch wrap or shrink wrap provides only a little protection to thegoods they cover. They and the goods they are covering can easily becometorn on sharp edges during transportation. For foodstuffs in paper bags,for example, if one bag of the unit load is torn open, then the entireunit load or pallet of goods must be thrown away at great expense.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,972,464 A discloses a pallet wrapping apparatus havingan elongated panel. The panel has alternating elastic/non-elasticpanels. It is mounted by a hook to the pallet and is wrapped around theload and secured in place by VELCRO strips.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,868,955 A discloses a belt which fastens around a load.It has a hook which attaches the belt to an article of the load. Thebelt is then wrapped around the load and secured by VELCRO.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,330 A discloses a flexible wrapping member withrubber-like straps. Each strap has a hook which fastens to a grommet inthe wrapping member.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,371,815 A and GB 1117448 A disclose a wrapper connectedat its lower end to a pallet. The wrapper is held in tension around aload by tension straps connected to the wrapper.

Devices described in the publications listed above generally require asheet or covering to be wrapped around a load and a means for fasteningthe sheet around the load, such as a belt, a hook or a rope. Suchfastening means can add weight, bulk and cost to the device and canbecome tangled when being stored.

The inventors have appreciated the need for an improved arrangement tounitize a load carried on a transportation base, such as a pallet.Examples described herein mitigate some or all of the problems describedabove, such as, reducing the time to unitize a load, reducing the wasteand storage requirement of waste plastic film, and providing greaterprotection to the load on a pallet.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is defined by the independent claims to which reference isnow directed. Preferred features of the invention are defined by thedependent claims.

Features of the dependent claims directed to a transportation base loadunitizer may also be dependent on the independent method claim.

An embodiment of the invention is described in more detail below andtakes the form of a transportation base load unitizer for unitizing aload on a transportation base, such as a pallet. The unitizer comprisesat least one elastic section and at least one protection section forproviding greater protection to a load on a transportation base than theat least one elastic section. The unitizer is configured such that, inuse, the unitizer holds together as a unit and protects a load on atransportation base.

At least one of the at least one protection section may be in the formof a sheet.

In an embodiment of the invention, at least one of the at least oneprotection section comprises a durable material. Thus, the unitizer isable to resist perforation. At least one of the at least one protectionsection may be plastics and in particular polypropylene.

In another embodiment of the invention, the unitizer is in the form of asleeve or sheath. For example, the unitizer may be in the form of atube. This arrangement is particularly easy to place around the loadbeing unitized. For example, rather than wrapping a material around theload, a prefabricated sleeve or sheath may be expanded or stretched bytensioning the at least one elastic section and subsequently loweredover the load to a position where it surrounds the load. Advantageously,the at least one elastic section may be relaxed, such that the sleeveautomatically constricts around the load. Therefore, it may be said thatthe sleeve is configurable between an expanded or stretched state and arestricted or contracted state, by tensioning or relaxing the at leastone elastic section. Configuration of the contracted state may beautomatic once the at least one elastic section is no longer tensioned.This arrangement may prevent the need to provide the unitizer withhooks, belts or other such fastening means. Preferably, the unitizerdoes not have a fastening means. It is envisaged that a sleeve will beparticularly suitable for machine-automated application to loads,especially compared to devices of the prior art which typically requiremanual tightening or fastening.

The sleeve may be substantially closed at one end which could form asock-like covering. In this way, it may substantially cover the top ofthe goods on the transportation base, thus also protecting the top ofthe goods from damage, such as from being soiled by liquid exposure. Inone embodiment, the unitizer, in use, provides a substantiallycontinuous covering for a load, such that little or none of the load isexposed. However, the sleeve may have a vent (preferably at the top) toallow air to escape whilst applying the unitizer to a load.

The or each elastic section may be arranged such that they provide asubstantially uniform restoring force circumferentially around theunitizer.

Preferably, the or each elastic section may be substantially planar orflat such that it has a lower profile or takes up less volume than, forexample, a hook, belt buckle or rope typically used in devices of theprior art. Advantageously, the unitizer may thus be more readily foldedor compacted and subsequently stored.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the unitizer is configured forrepeated use. That is to say, the unitizer may be removed from one unitload of goods and be re-located around many other unit loads of goods.In this way, waste is reduced.

In another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided amethod of unitizing a load on a transportation base, such as a pallet,using a transportation base load unitizer comprising at least oneelastic section and at least one protection section for providinggreater protection to a load on a transportation base than the at leastone elastic section, the method comprising elastically deforming the atleast one elastic section around the load on the transportation base tohold together as a unit and protect the load.

When in use, unitizing and holding a typical square or near squarecross-section load, the unitizer takes on the same or similarcross-sectional shape, that is to say square or near squarecross-section or, in other words, it has four sides. In thisconfiguration, the unitizer may have an elastic section on each side.This aids in maintaining a uniform restoring force on the load of goodsinside the unitizer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

An embodiment of the invention will now be described in more detail, byway of example only, with reference to the accompanying figure, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a transportation base load unitizerembodying the present invention, holding together a load, as a unit, ona transportation base.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A transportation base load unitizer and a method of unitizing a load ona transportation base, such as a pallet (for example, of the pallet typedescribed in the background to the invention section above) will now bedescribed with reference to FIG. 1.

In this example, the unitizer 8 is in the form of a sleeve or tube openat both ends. It includes protection sections each made of a sheet 10(in this example, there are four sheets). Each sheet is connected to aneighbouring or adjacent sheet by an elastic section 12. Theinterconnecting sheets and protection sections form the sides of thesleeve.

In this example, the elastic sections each take the form of a pluralityof substantially planar elastic strips 13. The elastic strips areequally spaced apart axially between adjacent sheets. The sheets and theelastic sections are made from different materials. The sheets arerelatively less elastic than the elastic sections. In this example, theyare made from inelastic material. The sheets are in the form of adurable material, such as plastics, for example, polypropylene. Theelastic sections are made from elastic or resilient material thatincludes, for example, rubber strands.

In an alternative arrangement (not shown), each elastic section is inthe form of one continuous elastic strip, each elastic strip connectingadjacent sheets 10, such that there are no gaps or spaces betweenadjacent sheets. Thus, in use, each elastic strip spans the height ofthe load.

In use, when surrounding goods 14 on a pallet 12, a restoring forceprovided by the elasticity or resilience of the elastic sections 16 ofthe sleeve 8 between the sheets 10 causes it to hold the goods together.The inelastic sheets of durable material provide protection for thegoods (they provide greater protection than the elastic sections).

When in use, holding and unitizing a typical square or near-squarecross-section load 14 on a pallet 16, the sleeve 8 takes on acorresponding or similar cross-sectional shape (square or near square)as the load. In other words, it has four sides with a corner 18 at eachcorner of the load. In this configuration, the sleeve has an elasticsection 16 on each side of the sleeve and, in particular, towards themiddle of each side. Each sheet engages with and provides a force to acorner formed by the goods on the pallet. In this example, it is aportion towards the middle of each sheet that engages with a cornerformed by the goods on the pallet.

The sleeve 8 is located around the goods 14 to be held or unitized asfollows. The sleeve is elastically deformed or stretched to increase itscircumference by circumferentially elastically deforming or stretchingthe elastic sections 16. It is then lowered over the load of goods 14 onthe pallet 16 such that the sleeve circumferentially surrounds or isaround the load or goods 14 on the pallet 16. The elastic portions ofthe sleeve 8 are then allowed to relax and their resilience causes thegoods 14 to be held together firmly.

The sleeve 8 forming the unitizer may be applied to a unit load of goods14 on a pallet 16 as described above by a single person. However, it isquicker and easier for the sleeve 8 to be applied to the goods 14 by twopeople. This method of holding the goods is considerably quicker thanusing shrink or stretch wrap to hold the goods and also affords greaterprotection.

Such an embodiment will stabilise the goods 14 loaded on a pallet 16whilst also giving good protection to the goods 14. The sleeve orunitizer described may be used many times on various unit loads.

An additional feature (not shown) is that the sleeve 8 may be closed atone end forming a cover such that it covers the top of the goods 14 onthe pallet 16. Thus, it will provide protection to the top of the goods.

The or each sheet 10 forming part of the unitizer 8 in the exampledescribed have a continuous surface. That is to say, there are no holesin the surface. Alternatively, the sheet may be wholly or in partinclude one or more holes through it, such as being of netting orwebbing.

The sleeve 8 may include identifying marks to indicate an owner, thetype of pallet load or display advertising (not shown). It may alsoinclude an electronic device (not shown) to indicate the location of thesleeve.

It is to be understood that the above disclosure merely describesexamples of embodiments of the present invention and that there arevariations and modifications that may be made to the examples describedwithin the scope of the present invention.

1-17. (canceled)
 18. A transportation base load unitizer for unitizing a load on a transportation base, such as a pallet, the unitizer comprising at least one elastic section and at least one protection section for providing greater protection to a load on a transportation base than the at least one elastic section, the unitizer being configured such that, in use, the unitizer holds together as a unit and protects a load on a transportation base and wherein the unitizer is in the form of a prefabricated sleeve.
 19. A transportation base load unitizer according to claim 18, wherein at least one of the at least one protection section is in the form of a sheet.
 20. A transportation base load unitizer according to claim 18, wherein at least one of the at least one protection section comprises durable material.
 21. A transportation base load unitizer according to claim 18, wherein at least one of the at least one protection section comprises plastics.
 22. A transportation base load unitizer according to claim 18, wherein at least one of the at least one protection section comprises polypropylene.
 23. A transportation base load unitizer according to claim 18, wherein the sleeve is substantially closed at one end.
 24. A transportation base load unitizer according to claim 18, wherein the at least one elastic section is arranged to provide a substantially uniform restoring force circumferentially around the unitizer.
 25. A transportation base load unitizer according to claim 18, wherein the unitizer is configured for repeated use.
 26. A transportation base load unitizer according to claim 18, wherein the at least one protection section comprises a plurality of sheets.
 27. A transportation base load unitizer according to claim 26, comprising four of said sheets.
 28. A transportation base load unitizer according to claim 18, wherein at least one of the at least one protection section comprises at least one sheet and an elastic section of the at least one elastic section is located between adjacent sheet edges of the at least one sheet.
 29. A transportation base load unitizer according to claim 28, wherein the or each elastic section comprises at least one elastic strip.
 30. A transportation base load unitizer according to claim 29, wherein the elastic sections comprise a plurality of elastic strips spaced apart axially.
 31. A transportation base load unitizer according to claim 29, wherein the or each elastic strip extends circumferentially between adjacent edges of the at least one sheet.
 32. A method of unitizing a load on a transportation base, such as a pallet, using a transportation base load unitizer in the form of a prefabricated sleeve comprising at least one elastic section and at least one protection section for providing greater protection to a load on a transportation base than the at least one elastic section, the method comprising elastically deforming the at least one elastic section around the load on the transportation base to hold together as a unit and protect the load. 